


Make This Place Your Home

by orightono



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Angst, Coming of Age, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eren Yeager is a Little Shit, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Get Together, Gryffindor Eren Yeager, Hogwarts, Levi Ackerman Has Issues, M/M, POV Levi Ackerman, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Slytherin Levi Ackerman, non-binary Hanji Zoe
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-16
Updated: 2021-03-22
Packaged: 2021-03-25 12:20:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 13,088
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30089001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orightono/pseuds/orightono
Summary: Levi was totally and completely normal, thank you very much.(Except he wasn’t.)Levi was a wizard, returning to Hogwarts for his sixth year. This year accompanied by a certain prefect badge that he never asked for.Levi had grown up in a muggle orphanage.  No mother to kiss him goodbye when he left for school. No father to squeeze his shoulder and tell him he’d miss him.Levi was entirely and completely alone in the world. And he was okay with that. That was until a certain brat with bright eyes and a sharp tongue transferred mysteriously from Durmstrang to completely change Levi’s life forever.He was doomed..An Attack on Titan Multi Chapter Hogwarts AU. This fic is set in 1977, just before the first wizarding war. This was (according to canon) when the Marauders where in their 6th year at Hogwarts but the only Harry Potter canon characters in this fic will be teachers. All other characters will be taken from Attack on Titan.
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Erwin Smith, Levi Ackerman & Eren Yeager, Levi Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Marco Bott/Jean Kirstein
Comments: 26
Kudos: 73





	1. The Journey to School

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! So this feels strange, but I'm excited. I'm a bit nervous to post this, I was kind of thinking I would write it all and then post it but I'm impatient and wanted to share it. I have a few chapters already written so I'm thinking I will just update maybe once a week? Hopefully I won't catch up with myself - haha! 
> 
> Anyway, I hope that you like this little nugget. Please do let me know what you think! Have fun!

The platform was bustling, as it always was on September 1st.

Hoots and screeches from owls. New first years already blubbering as they clung to their mothers for the final time for months. The calls of returning students seeing friends that they had missed over the summer. People. Families. Friends.

Levi stood alone. The small trunk that held his entire world possessions, the things he had sourly missed over the summer, by his side as he waited to board the train. He always felt awkward. Hated the side eyed looks of pity that passing parents gave him when they noticed him stood alone. No mother to kiss him goodbye. No father to squeeze his shoulder and tell him they would miss him.

Levi had always been alone.

He dug his hand in his pocket, searching for a cigarette to turn those looks from pity to disapproval but instantly retracted it as the cool metal badge touched his fingertips. It hadn’t been hard avoiding the badge all summer.

Matron had confiscated the whole lot of his wizarding supplies the second he had arrived back at the orphanage doors. She had done the same thing every summer since Levi was eleven, the last had been no different. But Levi had been almost glad of the fact when he been called into her office to open that years Hogwarts letter to find the metal ‘prefect’ badge shining back at him.

_Prefect._

He didn’t want it. They should have asked him, or at least thought about it properly- he was pissed that they hadn’t. He didn’t want responsibilities or a shitty badge. He especially didn’t want to have any sort of _authority_ within his house.

Levi was Muggle-born. Or at least as far as he knew he was. His mother, a Muggle (that much he was sure), hadn’t loved him enough to stick around long enough to divulge the family history. Matron took pleasure from reminding him of the fact that his father was a nameless blank space on his birth certificate. Probably a drug dealer or some other form of petty criminal.

_Probably._

_Maybe._

Well, it didn’t fucking matter. They had all fucked off and that was okay. Levi didn’t need them anyway. He had never known a family like most of the other students at Hogwarts had. But after living his first few years at Hogwarts with nothing by envy and hate, he had soon realised that even that didn’t matter. Envy and hate didn’t make his mother come back. It hadn’t made his father materialise and it didn’t make him feel any fucking better. Envy and hate had transformed over the years. Turning into apathy and disinterest. 

He had been sorted into Slytherin and had learnt to love the regal décor of the common room. He had learnt to love the gentle sound of the lake outside his window in the dormitory when everything was quiet and still. Even had learnt to love the chilly mornings when the cold of the dungeons seeped into space where the fires had been roaring the night before.

He had, however, not learned to even tolerate the other members of his house. Never mind like.

There had been a definite change since starting first year; when the word ‘ _mudblood_ ’ still had caused a room to quieten and eyes to shift uncomfortably. Though, now entering his sixth year at Hogwarts, that word and worse still were commonplace in the corridors. Slytherin’s kept to themselves more and more, and one’s blood ‘status’ began correlating with one’s safety.

Even in the Muggle world, Levi was used to his heritage being a problem. Other boys at the orphanage had families; aunts and uncles who would visit them, siblings that were with them or near by, and even if they were alone in the world like Levi, at least they knew where they had come from. They knew their mother’s name, their grandparents, their cousin’s. They had roots.

Nobody cared about the poor, orphan boy who had no family tree.

That was the majority reason why he didn’t want the fucking prefect badge.

He had been going through his Hogwarts career trying to keep himself to himself as much as he could. Avoid the snarky comments about his blood status, about how he didn’t belong in Slytherin or even Hogwarts. There had been rumours.

_‘Did you hear Ackerman’s part of a notorious Muggle gang?’_

_‘I heard Ackerman killed someone before coming to Hogwarts. Dumbledore only accepted him because it was that or Azkaban.’_

_‘Someone told me that Ackerman is actually the illegitimate son of that radical dark wizard. You know the one. He works as a spy for him too.’_

Usually, a glare shot in the right direction was enough to shut up whoever was spouting shit. People had come to fear his glares. It took countless black eyes and bruised knuckles, duels and detentions before people got the message to leave him the fuck alone. But they had…for a time anyway.

That badge had ruined all of that hard work in a single summer. He would now be expected to interact. To have responsibilities, dish punishments, to be an example and become a more active member of the school.

To fuck with that. Levi had already decided that badge wasn’t seeing the light of day. He would get to Hogwarts and his first stop would be to return the blasted thing to Dumbledore. To Slughorn, head of Slytherin house. To anyone who could take the badge back and agree that perhaps they had made a mistake, Levi wasn’t the best person for the job, and they’d ask someone a little more personable.

With that in mind, Levi boarded the train, escaping the noise of the platform. The train was a stark contrast, muffling it to the dullest white noise which Levi found almost relaxing. Most students chose to leave the actual act of boarding the train until the very last moment to give themselves ample time to say goodbye to their darling parents properly. Levi had learnt that it was the perfect opportunity to secure himself a good compartment. Preferably one that was empty. So he could set himself up and be ready to glare through the glass at passing students searching for a space.

He walked to the end of the train through the thin corridors, hoping as he did every year, that the further he was away from the general population, the less likely he would to be bothered, and subsequently the happier he would be.

Levi managed to set himself up in one of the last compartments before the clock chimed eleven o’clock and the whistle blew. As the remaining students on the platform pushed onto the train, Levi got out all the incomplete homework that had been locked away over the summer and began the long task of fitting eight weeks of work into a matter of hours.

The train pulled off from the station with one last, piercing whistle. Students hung out of the window, calling and waving to their parents. Parents called and waved from the platform. Some crying, desperate to keep their children close, wishing they never had to grow up. Some smiling, looking forward to the term of peace and a tidy house. But by Christmas, they would be pleased to see their child again. They would ask about school and greet them with open arms.

Levi felt his scowl deepen and angrily pulled down the blind on the window.

Nobody cared about the poor, orphan boy, and he knew it.

Levi had managed to get himself into a studying rhythm as their journey began. Finally, being allowed to use magic, his first spell had been a silencing spell to block out the noise of the first years high pitched chatter as they passed the door in search for the snack trolley. It had been shakily cast, rusty from eight weeks without practice so a gentle muffle could still be heard, but Levi found that it relaxed him more than it irritated him.

For the first time all summer, he finally felt the tension leave him. Alone wasn’t a concept that anyone in the Muggle orphanage understood. Even if he could go days without anyone speaking to him specifically, it was difficult to find a moment alone. When all bedrooms and bathroom were shared and sitting in the shitty garden minding ones own business was a fast track way of getting beaten up.

During the last summer, Levi had gotten more brazen and escaped the confines of the orphanage walls a number of times. Headed out into Muggle London for a moment’s peace. It never had been peaceful. On one particular summer evening, he had ended up spending the night on the streets. Mugged, beaten, pockets empty and belly hungry before he had been ‘rescued’ by Matron the following morning. She had refused to feed him for another twelve hours to ‘ _teach him to be grateful’_ for everything the orphanage provided him.

And for a time, he was. Grateful for the food that he didn’t have to steal. Grateful for the relative comfort of the orphanage bed. But, if Levi had learnt anything from life, it was to not take comfort for granted. Comfort, never mind how vague the sense, cannot last forever.

It was a lesson that he was reminded of when the compartment door abruptly swung open and a lanky, brunette invaded the tranquillity, dragging his trunk behind him.

Levi’s lip curled. Irritation gnawed. 

“Fuck off.” He snapped instantly, watching as the brunette barrelled in. He was dressed in the usual dark; Hogwarts robs but with no indication of house. The tie was the plain black substitute that all first years wore prior to the sorting ceremony. He was tall though, taller than the usual first year, and in closer inspection looked significantly older than eleven.

The boy looked back at him, his shoulders deflating ever so slightly.

“Aw come on,” He whined, increasing Levi’s irritation by tenfold. “Everywhere else is full and if it’s not full then they’ve already told me to do one.” He explained, lifting his trunk up above his head and loading it next to Levi’s.

Levi felt his jaw clench as he watched him. His finger itched for his wand. It would be far too easy to curse the bastard, especially now that the dreaded _‘first spell back after summer ’_ had been cast. Magic was flowing once again flowing through his veins.

It was the silver badge burning a hole in his pocket that stopped him. Despite the fact that he hated the very idea of being a prefect, despite the fact that he was going to return the badge straight away and never fully take up his post- something about it stopped him.

“Why don’t you just sit with the rest of the first years?” Levi replied, huffing loudly when the mystery boy flopped down harshly onto the felt seat. Not even the opposite side, but _next_ to him.

This kid had a death wish, Levi decided it then and there. 

“I’m not a first year.” He huffed, sliding down in his seat. Point number seventy-seven of annoyance; this kid was tall enough that his legs reached across the compartment and he rested his dirty fucking shoes on the opposite seat. “Well, I am. But not in that sense. This is my first year at Hogwarts, but I’m going into fifth year. I transferred from Durmstrang.” He said.

Levi’s eyebrows raised on their own accord.

That was new. It was almost unheard of anyone new beginning at Hogwarts that didn’t come with the newest batch of first years. Even less heard off was anyone transferring from Durmstrang.

The school was notorious for its role with the Dark Arts. Committed pure blood parents sent their promising pure blood children to be brainwashed and from the rumours, the openly prejudice attitudes towards anyone Muggle-born had only been getting worse. Rumours had been circulating about the school’s connection to dark wizards and the rise in Death Eaters for years.

Levi felt himself stiffen. It was only a matter of time until ‘ _Durmstrang Boy’_ found out about his blood status, but if he had the choice, the discovery would be left until Levi wasn’t alone and covered in half-finished homework and ink.

“Durmstrang?” Levi heard himself repeat, dumbly. The boy nodded.

“Yeah. But I don’t really want to talk about it, if that’s okay.” He said, scratching at the back of his hand absent-mindedly. “I bet Hogwarts is going to be a bit of a change though.” He added quickly, his face lighting up with a wide smile.

Fuck.

Levi grunted.

“Never been to Durmstrang so I wouldn’t know.” _But there are Muggle-borns here_ , he mentally added.

“I’m Eren. Eren Jaeger.” The lanky boy said after a beat of silence. A thin hand was extended towards Levi as a peace offering. Levi didn’t take it.

“Levi.” He replied. There was a space for the surname that Levi refused to fill.

For the boy without a family tree, it felt sort of mocking to still have a surname. The name ‘Ackerman’ was all he had of his heritage, all he had at any hint of a life he could have had, and the name alone told this Durmstrang boy far too much.

Ackerman. It wasn’t one of the ‘Sacred Twenty-Eight’; the only truly pure blood families. It wasn’t a wizarding name in general. It was the name of some of some East London Muggle prostitute or the client who just so happened to be Levi’s father. It had always felt strange being referred to as ‘Ackerman’ by teachers. He wasn’t an Ackerman.

He was simply, just Levi.

Instead of sneering, as Levi had expected him to do, Eren smiled again. He took his hand back without comment and relaxed into the seat.

“What house as you in?” Durmstrang asked.

“Slytherin.” Durmstrang nodded in reply.

“I was told I’m going to be sorted with the first years at the sorting ceremony.” He continued, oblivious to Levi’s death glare. “I’m sort of shitting myself though. Won’t I be the oldest one there?”

“Yes.” Levi said bluntly but sighed at in response to the dejected look on Durmstrang’s stupid face. “What I mean is, you will be but who the fuck cares? If you’re as dense as you seem the hat will have no problems, stick you in Hufflepuff and be done with it. I doubt there’s a lot to psychoanalyse in there anyway.” If Levi had been anyone else, he would have found it a struggle not to laugh at the expression Eren had pulled once he had finished his sentence. Like a kicked puppy, thought the raven.

“I’m not dumb.” He replied stubbornly, pouting ever so slightly. “I want to be in the smart house. For smart people.”

Levi scoffed.

“There isn’t a smart house. It doesn’t work like that, moron.” Levi sighed. Why was it that he was giving this kid so much time? He should have kicked him out of his compartment and been done with it. “Look, I was joking about Hufflepuff because everyone does. There isn’t a house for dumb people or one for smart people. Don’t give it so much thought. Every house has its qualities and weakness and shit. They say the hat sorts you for a reason, but from where I’m standing it seems random as fuck. Other than maybe they put all the fucking douchebags in Gryffindor and all the blood purist pricks in Slytherin.” Levi finished, realising only when he had finished his mini speech that he had sort of gone off on one. Eren sat silently, his expression unreadable. Distant. He was the next to speak though, a timidness coming over him.

“Are you a blood purist prick?” He asked, his eyes flicked down to the green and silver tie around Levi’s neck.

Another pause as Levi was dumbstruck with the question. He hated beyond anything else how the question alone filled his cheeks with colour. Embarrassment. Anger.

Of course, he was in the house of blood purity. A Muggle-born in the sea of pure bloods. Who sneered and scoffed at his very existence? They left him alone when they found out he could protect himself. It was easier for them to point their hatred at those in other houses. It would have been easy for Levi to join in too. To prove that he also hated filthy Muggles who abandoned their children, polluted, burnt, destroyed. Magicless, barbaric.

But he didn’t- couldn’t- hate them. There was a comforting simplicity to Muggle life, so much so that he had found himself wishing on several occasions that he had just been born as one of them. As a simple, boring, barbaric Muggle.

“Obviously fucking not.” Levi snapped, narrowing his eyes dangerously at the pure blood wizard who had just transferred from a pure blood only school. “I’m Muggle-born.” He hissed. He raised his wand before he realised it was in his hand and pointed it threateningly at the new student. Eren didn’t say anything. Just sat, frozen, his eyes wide in- what- disgust? The shock of even talking to someone with such dirty blood rendering the poor idiot mute.

“Got a fucking problem?”

Eren swallowed. His eyes crossing ever so slightly to focus on the wand tip pointed directed at his nose. 

“I-“

“For fuck sake, Ackerman.” The door of the compartment flew open again, a short girl in Slytherin uniform barged in, stony face. A prefect badge gleamed proudly on her chest.

Fuck, thought Levi. Petra Ral was the second Slytherin prefect. If he couldn’t be arsed before, Levi found himself hating the idea of the job even more now he was presented with having to spend time with her. She was nice enough, but probably the perfect candidate for becoming a prefect; the complete and utter opposite to Levi Ackerman. She was pure blood, though annoyingly seemed one of the only Slytherin’s who didn’t gloat about that fact. Pretty, studious, decent; Levi could even find himself liking the girl if given half the chance. Which was why it was terrible (and probably a sneaky choice by Dumbledore to pair them together) that she was the second prefect. It would make giving up his badge a lot harder as she would most likely have some words of motivation to try and pursued him against the demotion.

“Where have you been? We’ve been looking all over the place. We had a _meeting_ in the prefect’s carriage, you know? You were _meant_ to be there.” She snapped, crossing her arms as she jutted a hip out in annoyance.

Meeting? Prefects carriage? Fuck. Levi actively forced his expression to remain apathetic as she spoke, finally lowering his wand as he came back to his senses. All the fight had left him anyway. The only thing that was on his mind now was the shitty, little silver badge.

“Did you not _read_ your letter?” She asked before rolling her eyes dramatically. “Never mind, you’ve missed it now. Just come on, we’ve got to help with the first years before we arrive.” She told him, turning to leave.

She paused on her way, her eyes glancing towards Eren. She looked him up and down, taking in his plain, black robes, the houseless tie and frowned slightly.

“You too, first year. Why are you not with the rest of them?” Petra said, ignoring Eren’s blubbering about how he wasn’t actually a first year. Levi chose to ignore him too, huffed, shoved his wand back into his pocket before begrudgingly following the other Slytherin out of what was one his own, private compartment.

“Levi-“ Eren made a step towards him, his hand taking grasp of his robe sleeve. Levi ripped his arm away as if the touch alone had burnt him.

“Fuck off.” He snapped for the second time since they met and left, not turning to see if Durmstrang had followed him or not. 


	2. The Sorting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again impatience has gotten the better of me, so here's chapter two! I do hope you like it! Thank you to everyone who has left kudos and commented on chapter one, it means the world!

Being a prefect was worse than Levi could have ever begun to imagine. Why Slughorn had thought that he was the right person to deal with a bunch of screeching, excitable, bratty eleven-year-olds, he would never know.

The whole experience was like a fever dream.

He worked with the rest of the prefects to organise the first years into groups. Then to load those groups onto the small boats for their journey across the lake. Levi had almost lost one of his to the dark water as the stupid fuck decided to stand up as the others were clambering, almost tipping the boat over. Levi partly wished he had let the moron drown, he was sure the creature that lurked in the inky waters below was hungry after such a long summer. Would have served him right.

They had all survived though, much to Levi’s disappointment. They all seemed insistent on asking him questions about anything that came to mind, and when they weren’t doing that they were talking incessantly with their dumb as shit eleven-year-old conversations.

‘ _Where are you from? What school did you go to before this?’_

‘ _My mum’s a muggle but my dad’s a wizard. What about you?’_

‘ _My brother told me they keep a Dragon in the dungeons. I hope I get to see it.’_

_‘My dad was in Gryffindor. He was on the Quidditch team. I’m going to be too.’_

Levi felt himself biting his tongue a number of times throughout the whole ordeal. Resisting the urge to tell the whole lot of them to shut the fuck up. To throw his badge as far as he could into the lake and stomp up to the castle himself.

The only plus side to the situation was Eren.

Not that Levi spent any time talking to him (he most definitely had avoided him when picking his group). But watching the Durmstrang boy manoeuvre himself awkwardly between the first years was the most comical thing Levi had seen in a long time.

He was quite literally head and shoulders above every single one of them. A number of them turned to him, asking him questions about Hogwarts or where they were meant to be going or what the sorting was going to be like. Obviously assuming he was a prefect or a teacher. Of course, Eren didn’t know the answer to any of their questions and fell over his own words as he continuously attempted to explain to them that he ‘ _wasn’t a first year but-‘_. The majority lost interest the second he said he was in the same boat of them; both figuratively and physically.

Levi never thought he would be stifling laughter watching a bunch of eleven-year-olds turn their backs on a moronic giant who seemed desperate for them to understand his situation. Levi had to wonder why Dumbledore hadn’t just taken pity on the poor bastard when he had agreed to the transfer and let him have a private sorting during the summer holidays, but he was grateful that hadn’t been the case. The free entertainment was almost enough to make Levi thankful that he even _had_ the prefect badge pinned to his cloak.

To imagine, he could have so easily missed this.

When the first years (and Durmstrang) were loaded onto their boats, had left the shore and were on their way across the lake, the prefects (and Levi) made their way to the last magically drawn carriages heading to Hogwarts.

Despite how much he always felt as though he didn’t fit in, even here, nothing beat the first glimpse Levi got of Hogwarts castle every year. The carriage fell quiet as every other student had their moment too. All looking up at the castle in thought, as though they were each fallen in love with the building once again. Wondering what the next school year would have in store for them. Levi’s gaze was caught by the head boy subtly nudging the head girl and giving her an almost sad smile. He supposed it was going to be the last time they did this journey. It was their last year at Hogwarts. It was obviously a bittersweet moment, seven years full of memories that would forever live in the castle walls.

Levi turned his eyes turned back to the castle as they approached. Almost every window spilled welcoming light out into the continuously darkening night. A beacon, welcoming each and every one of them back again. The summer had been along one.

Levi found his thoughts drifting to Eren momentarily. Was he enjoying his first glimpse of Hogwarts? Even though he would be trapped between several excitable first years. Or was he looking up at it longingly, wishing it were Durmstrang castle he was returning to instead? Probably. He supposed he must have had a life and friends at Durmstrang; pure blood friends that would turn their noses up at a school like Hogwarts and their Muggle-born intake.

 _Well_ , thought Levi, his mood turning sour again as he stared at the dirt path straight ahead, _there was a reason for his transferring to Hogwarts, and he intended to find it out._

Eren quickly left his thoughts though, as they pulled up behind the rest of the now empty carriages and piled out. The first face to greet them was that of Argus Filch, who stood sneering and muttering to himself as they unloaded themselves (a charming welcome, as always). No one took any notice of him, or how he grumbled his sarcastic welcome back. Many of the prefects were already chattering amongst themselves about how hungry they were, how they were dying to be at the feast and how they couldn’t wait to be back in their dormitories tonight.

Levi stood (once again and unsurprisingly) alone.

He walked into the castle alone, following the group and unhooking his badge subtly. He did have to agree that he _was_ looking forward to food, and although he _could_ wait to be back in his dormitory- and more importantly, those he shared a dorm room. What he was looking forward to doing was pulling the thick curtains around his four-poster bed and sinking into that plush mattress. The mattresses at the orphanage were like cardboard, but even they were the lap of luxury compared to the actual cardboard he had slept on that night in London.

“Go on, hurry up. The sorting is starting at any moment, off you go to your house tables.” McGonagall’s shrill Scottish accent pulled him back as Levi began hastily ascending the long staircase from the entrance leading to the great hall. She stood proudly as usual, the group of first years (and Eren) stood beside her, looking rather more sheepish than they had done when Levi had left them in their little boats. One particular one (not Eren) looked as though they were just about to vomit- _poor bastard._

Levi walked past without glancing towards the brunette. He could feel Eren’s gaze bearing into the back of skull. There was a familiar pull of desire towards the pocket his wand was in, Levi’s fingers twitched, but with McGonagall so close and the sorting so imminent even something as innocent as a _Jelly Legs Jinx_ would be sure to land him in detention till Christmas. He resisted, thought better of it and continued walking into the Great Hall.

The Slytherin table was, as usual, along the left-hand wall of the hall. The ceiling was slightly disappointing that evening. Especially considering how clear it had been the year before, with a vast sea of stars and a full moon. This year the waning moon was only just visible behind the heavy clouds. A few spots of rain had already begun to fall from them, stopped as if by an invisible wall just before the droplets landed on the heads of students below. If one were to look over to the large windows, they would see that the weather was mirrored outside; the first drops beginning to show themselves on the glass.

Levi headed over to the table, squeezing himself between silver and green. No one greeted him, but at least this year they had moved without threats being exchanged. There had been improvement.

Dumbledore stood as the last prefect took their seat, a warm smile spreading across his face.

“Here we are again, for another year. Welcome back to Hogwarts,” was all that Levi heard before he decided to zone out, distracted by the hunger gnawing at his insides. He only had to survive the sorting and then would be allowed to gorge himself sick on roast potatoes and cauliflower. Levi hated to admit it, but the welcome back feast was something he had dreamt about more than once over the summer.

The sound of the door of the Great Hall swinging open signified the end to Dumbledore’s short speech and the starting of the sorting. McGonagall’s short heels clicked against the stone floor as she led the students down to the front of the hall, where the hat had been placed upon his usual stool. Having momentary forgotten about the Durmstrang boy, Levi turned to follow the rest of Slytherin house’s gaze. The murmuring, the nudges, the whispers that travelled the length of the table and back.

“Who the _fuck_ is that?” A Slytherin boy scoffed, twisting to get a better view of Eren as he awkwardly walked between the rest of the first years. His face was blindingly obvious, sticking out above the rest.

“If he’s eleven, I’m a fucking house elf? He’s fucking huge.” A fifth-year girl commented. Annie was it? Annie Leonhart. Her friend snorted. “Maybe he’s related to that oaf, Hagrid. Wouldn’t surprise me, Dumbledore loves charity cases.” She said that caused the surrounding Slytherin’s to join in the laughter.

“He’s not eleven.” Levi heard himself say, instantly wishing he had never bothered to open his fucking, stupid mouth. The laughter died down instantly and all eyes turned to him.

“How would _you_ know?” Annie asked, propping her chin up on her hand. Her blonde hair was a sharp contrast to the dark robes she was wearing, her nose crooked. Levi had heard that last year she had cursed a third year Ravenclaw who had commented on the size of it; he had spent three nights in the hospital wing and she had gotten away with losing ten house points and a verbal warning. Not that Levi was under any pretences that Annie was probably the one who had started the feud in the first place. Probably some jab at their blood status had been made. He found himself wishing that the Ravenclaw had cursed her right in the abnormally large nose before she had chance to retaliate and been done with it.

Levi kept his face stony as he replied.

“He came into my carriage on the train.” He explained. “He’s transferred from Durmstrang or some shit. Didn’t say why.” Levi told them, the surrounding Slytherins listened, hanging off his every word. There was a murmur and a knowing look that, once again, passed between them all. There was brewing excitement, the trigger being Durmstrang.

Durmstrang meant pure blood.

Durmstrang meant potential.

Durmstrang meant Slytherin.

“What’s his name?” Annie asked again, obviously the designated spokesperson for the rest of the group that was listening in.

“Jaeger, I think. Eren Jaeger.” Levi said. There was another murmur.

“Wait? Jaeger? Are you _sure_?” Jean, another fifth-year student, asked as he raised his eyebrows. Levi nodded. As much as he hated talking with them, especially as he could see exactly the track that their minds were following, he was sort of enjoying having them all hanging off every word. It felt powerful.

“That’s what he said. Eren Jaeger from Durmstrang. That’s all I know.” _That and he’s an annoying dickhead._ Levi shrugged, glancing back over his shoulder.

The sorting was now underway, the hat periodically calling out house names which was always followed by cheers and claps from which ever house had been lucky to gain another member. Eren, by the looks of things, looked ready to pass out. Levi didn’t envy him. He had hated the whole sorting ceremony too, especially being a small, lost Muggle-born who’s first real run in with magic was with a hat that suddenly knew more about him than anyone ever had. Apparently more than he did himself.

Levi had been short- still was, although he hated it more than he hated anything else. Where Levi had barely been able to see over his towering classmates to even prepare himself for what was to come as they had walked down the hall. Levi had, of course, also been the second one to be sorted. He supposed it was the only good thing his parents had ever given him; a name that meant the torture was over relatively quickly. Eren had the opposite problem. He had to painstakingly watch as each first year before him took their seats on the rickety old stool and be sorted into their houses. The anxiety only raising with each passing student until they inevitably landed on ‘J’.

“Eren Jaeger.” McGonagall called out, cutting the conversation at the Slytherin table, and the rest of the great hall, short. A silence fell as every student craned their necks curiously to try and watch the strange transfer student be sorted. Each house clearly desperate for it to be them, but no more so than Slytherin. Even Levi found himself more than mildly interested where the brat would end up, his gaze was fixed as Eren broke away from the crowd of first years and approached the stool.

There was a flicker of warmth on McGonagall’s face, a small, encouraging smile which Eren didn’t return and Levi wondered if he had imagined. All too quick, with the obvious intent of getting it over and done with, the brunette took his seat, and the hat was lowered onto his head.

Silence.

Briefly flicking his eyes to the rest of the hall, Levi saw that every single other pair of eyes were locked on Eren. The only sound was the rain on the window and the muffled voice of the hat mumbling into Eren’s ear.

“Slytherin. Come on, just say it. He’s pure blood. His father is-“ Jean whispered, the sound grating through the almost silence. Annie nudged him angrily in the side.

“Shut the fuck up, Jean, or I swear to-“

“ _Gryffindor!”_ The hat bellowed.

Silence.

“What the fu-“

Jean’s curse was cut off by the pure eruption of cheers from the Gryffindor table, hoots and claps. The same smile that Levi had seen only hours before burst onto Eren’s face as McGonagall removed the hat off his head, a smile also pulling at her lips. Although she claimed to be impartial, she always was pleased to gain another student to her house. She mumbled something to Eren as he stood, who nodded in reply to her, and rushed over to the welcoming arms of the Gryffindor table. Levi’s eyes followed him over only to lose him as the sea of red and gold enveloped him. They were always boisterously loud whenever they gained a new house member.

A foreign pang of unexplained jealousy hit Levi somewhere deep in his gut and he turned back to the table. Briefly, he wondered what it would feel like to be so welcomed. Wanted before anyone even got to know you. So unconditionally accepted right off the bat. It must be nice.

Either Levi found himself in a time warp or he ended up dwelling on the thought slightly longer than intended, as the next time he was brought back to reality the plates had been filed and the frenzy to pile one’s plate had begun.

Dinner was not eventful after that, though Levi did thoroughly enjoy his meal. The only time he ever had a roast prior to Hogwarts was at Christmas, but even then, the orphanage’s piss poor excuse of a roast was nothing in comparison. Watery gravy, lumpy mash and a single turkey that was designed to feed eight had to be stretched between every person there. At Hogwarts, the food was rich and flavourful. Plates refilled themselves within seconds of being emptied and Levi could eat until he was sick if he had genuinely wanted. It was a refreshing change to what had been his diet during the months of summer break.

As the meal wound down, Levi felt almost happy.

Food was a perfect distraction from one’s thoughts, and with his belly full and his mind fuzzy with a warmth that could only come from roast potatoes, Levi felt content. He was uninterested in any plans that were being made up and down the Slytherin table of common room activities after the feast. Groups of friends desperate for a catch up, games of wizard chess or exploding snap; it all sounded like a headache waiting to happen, according to Levi. Besides, after the long journey and the good meal, tiredness was fast approaching.

At the very least, an early night would give him a few moments peace to unpack all the belongings in his pitiful excuse of a trunk and finish up the homework he still had to before the start of term tomorrow. Eren Jaeger had disturbed his last attempted at the task, he didn’t intend for anything else to come between him and his essays.

Levi stood, pushing himself up off the bench to make his way down to bed. All that food was beginning to settle itself in his stomach, making him feel slow and heavy, so no doubt it would be an arduous trip back down the familiar path to the dungeons.

“Where do you think you’re going, Ackerman?” Levi blinked and looked up at the voice. He physically had to hold back the sigh as Petra stood before him once again. Does this girl never give up, he thought?

So much for an early night.

“Um bed?” He replied, prompting the girl to roll her eyes. 

“It’s our job to show the first years the way to the common room and give them the password. You already missed the meeting; I’m not letting you get out of this one.” She told him, attempting to ease the tension with a timid smile. Levi sighed, defeated. He had known the second that shitty fucking badge rolled out from his Hogwarts letter that summer that it would continuously be a massive pain in his ass. Even more so when he found out it was Petra Ral who he would be paired with. So far, it had definitely lived up to the idea.

The last thing he wanted to be doing with a belly full of food and a trunk full of unfinished homework was babysitting snotty brats all evening. 

“Okay.” He sighed. “Okay. Let’s get this over and done with then.” Levi caved, running a hand through his hair, choosing to ignore how Petra actually smiled at him. Fuck her. At this point he was so used to the looks of disinterest that a smile felt foreign and mocking. 

Tomorrow, he thought.

Tomorrow before class he would go and return the badge to Slughorn; _thank you very much but no thank you_. Petra nodded, looking pleased by his cooperation, before she turned and leaded him down the long table to where the small group of new Slytherin first years had gathered. 

They all looked more at ease now they had been sorted, fed, and spoken properly to one and other. Without the nerves and over a heart meal. 

“Right listen here you little shits,” 

“Levi!” Petra squeaked in shock. “Never mind him. Just Ignore him, everyone.” She attempted to damage control as the first years sniggered. 

Levi bit back the smirk, choosing to stay silent as Petra began to welcome them all into Slytherin, explain where the common room was and handed out timetable’s she apparently had been given at the prefects meeting- _oops._

Eventually, when Petra had finished going through the motions and the great hall was all but empty, except for each other houses pockets of first years and their respective prefects; they began leading them down to the dungeons. Petra in front, explaining important things about the moving staircases and to not listen to a single thing Peeves the Poltergeist had to say. Levi trailed behind as to not lose any of them to the vast halls of Hogwarts. The last thing anyone needed on the first night back was some dumbass first year getting separated from the group and ending up falling out of the astronomy tower or slipping and breaking their necks on bird shit in the owlery.

They were later than Levi had initially intended getting to bed.

His familiar dormitory was already home to the rest of his roommates by the time Levi got climbed the staircase to bed. They were unpacking; loudly. Taking out the piles of brand-new schoolbooks, shiny and uncreased, that they had all purchased from Diagon Alley before returning, somewhere where Levi was still yet to step foot. All of his books and robes had always been sent to the orphanage curtesy of Dumbledore before the start of the new school year. Every single one of them were second hand; not that Levi was ungrateful. The only thing he had ever received new had been his wand, his most prize possession.

He watched them briefly hanging up pristine dress robes, all recently ironed by each family’s house elf before being loaded into their trunks, passing _Bertie Bot’s Every Flavour Beans_ to one and other and laughing about stories of summer. Photos of each person’s families already littered their bedside tables.

New supplies and clothes were something Levi had never been able to afford. He didn’t have money, wizard or muggle. Once, he had stolen ten pounds from Matron’s office and received such a bollocking that he had never done it again. It was easier- and safer- to steal anything he had wanted. Whether that be food or packets of cigarettes. New things had never been the top his priority list. Throughout his entire life at the orphanage, he had been made to wear hand-me-downs anyway (often from boys older and much taller than him).

No, out of all of the things that his roommates had that Levi hadn’t; the smiles of loving families, never mind how twisted and blood purist they were, always hit the hardest.

The conversation dulled as he entered, the other three students exchanged a brief look that Levi felt but didn’t see.

He ignored it.

He simply left his trunk untouched as he crossed the room over to his bed, feeling suddenly horrendously self-conscious about its contents (of lack of for a better description.) Tomorrow, he would take out the battered books. He would stick up the crumpled-up page he had brought with him; shoddily ripped out one of the other boys at the orphanage _Top of the Pops_ magazine, and pretend he was happy with that.

“Oh lads, remember your curtesy. We’re living with a _prefect_ now, can’t forget our manners-”

Levi pulled the thick curtain around his bed before he could hear the rest of the insult. He couldn’t be arsed with Nile and his attempts to wind him up. All the thoughts of a relaxed first evening back to Hogwarts had vanished over the course of the evening. The only plus side was how the soft bed seemed to form to him, the thick blanket felt like a cocoon and his stomach was still comfortably full from dinner.

All tiredness had evaporated though, and he lay staring at the canopy of the four-poster bed thinking about the fact that his unfinished homework (and packet of cigarettes) were both still lying innocently in his trunk with no chance of a retrieval mission for the next few hours at least. 

His thoughts briefly touched on the Durmstrang boy, high up in the Gryffindor tower, probably enjoying his first night in his new school. He was sure his roommates would be welcoming, full of red and gold laughter. Late nights and sugar rushes. He was probably unpacking too, laying out the new school supplies his father would have bought him. Perhaps sharing some wonderful creation his mother had baked with the soul purpose of sharing it with his new dorm mates.

Levi huffed out an annoyed breath through his nose, turning over in bed. It didn’t feel half as comfortable as it had seconds before.

Tomorrow would be better.

He’d hand the fucking prefect back in first thing, people would forget, things would go back to normal and Levi would make it through the next year in the same way he had just gotten through the last five.

Tomorrow, thought Levi.

Hold out till tomorrow. 


	3. First Day Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at it again! I had originally planned to only post once a week, but while I have a few chapters saved up, I think I'd like to keep the updates more regular <3 
> 
> This chapter is a long one so strap yourselves in, hope you enjoy it! Thank you to everyone for reading and commenting on the last chapter too <3 you guys are the best!!

_‘Tomorrow’_ didn’t turn out the way Levi had initially planned.

He had _planned_ to get up early. Had _planned_ to use the shared bathroom first, to finish his homework and still have time to go and hand in the blasted prefect badge to Slughorn before breakfast.

But, alas, plans so rarely come into fruition. And he had completely fucked the first morning back.

It had taken him almost all night to get to sleep- as it usually did- but once he was asleep, he found almost impossible to rise. Levi had never been a morning person. He was greeted by groggy, annoyance, as he was awoken by the rest of his roommates leaving for breakfast. Talking loudly and slamming the door shut behind them. The realisation of the time had kicked Levi right up the arsehole, and he had flung himself out of bed, haphazardly thrown his uniform on, used the bathroom as fast as he could. It ended with him sprinting up to the great hall before he missed breakfast all together.

The idea of missing his morning cup of tea was almost as offensive as being told he was a prefect in the first place, and God help the rest of the damn school if Levi had to start his new school year without at least _some_ caffeine coursing through his system.

He arrived, luckily, in time to down a tea and throw a slice of toast down his throat as he inspected his timetable.

He was shit out of luck that year, it seemed.

First lesson every Monday morning was double Transfiguration, followed by Charms. Which meant he would have to be on the ball, fully awake, with his homework completed every single Monday.

His worst nightmare.

Once again, Levi was reminded about how much he had (actually) fucked it that morning. The thought of the unfinished homework (literally) screwed up in his school bag was enough to give him hives.

McGonagall was notorious for giving no fucking shits when it came to missed assignments. Especially those she set over the summer. Especially those in N.E.W.T years.

As Levi wasn’t about to go advertising the fact that his homework had spent the entirety of the summer break locked in a muggle safe in Matron’s office; he supposed he would have to just deal with the punishment. Perhaps she would be forgiving this time around.

He doubted it, but a boy could wish.

Levi looked down at the rest of his timetable. By the looks of it, Slytherin was paired with Ravenclaw for the core lessons during the upcoming term. He could live with that, at least it meant that class would be somewhat peaceful.

The long-standing (and growing) rivalry between Slytherin and Gryffindor meant that during terms they were paired together, work rarely got done and detentions were dished out like they were going out of fashion. Slytherin and Hufflepuff were slightly better but the crueller of the Slytherin’s made sure to make the lives of the nicer Hufflepuff's a living nightmare.

Ravenclaw was a safe bet.

Levi’s mind travelled back to summer as he inspected the rest of his subjects.

He hadn’t exactly read his Hogwarts letter; tossing it aside after the dreaded _prefect_ badge had fallen out of its contents and had specifically chosen to largely ignore his O.W.L results which had occupied his letter. The briefest of glances had told him all he needed to know.

They were shit.

He had scrapped a ‘ _poor_ ’ on almost everything; all except potions (which had been the only ‘ _outstanding’_ that he had ever received in his entire life.) There had been many regrets since picking his subjects for third year; the main one was not taking Muggle Studies. He had no interest in the subject, but the choice would have been a smart one. If only for the help it would have had to make his grades look a lot less shit. But even then, he doubted he would have been able to keep up with Muggle Studies either. By the sounds of it, at N.E.W.T level, they were discussing how parliament worked and the ins and outs of the Muggle tax system. All of which, Levi had no clue about.

Unfortunately, for him, there was no an exam at Hogwarts on S _treet Smarts._

Luckily, despite the dreadful grades, it had obviously been enough to be accepted to restudy the subjects he had chosen last year.

Levi supposed it had something to do with the fifth year career’s meeting he’d had.

It hadn't gone well (to say the least) and had resulted in rather a few heated words from Slughorn about application and even _more_ heated words from Levi about the whole thing being _a total load of bloody bollocks_.

How was he supposed to know what he wanted his career after graduation to be, when only five years prior he had first discovered magic existed? What opportunities did he have? As a muggle-born with no finances, talent, or drive in anything. And when the whole wizarding world was set up for pure-blood pricks to succeed.

What did they really expect from him?

He had thought about it a lot since that meeting. Spent his summer wondering actually what he was going to do when he graduated next year.

The idea he had come up with began and ended with helping fight against the dark wizard that had been gaining in popularity during his time at school. The same wizard whose ideology had seeped into even the walls of Hogwarts. Pure blood students, brain washed by their pure blood parents.

He was unqualified and unmotivated for literally everything else.

At least for that, the injustice of the world was motivation enough.

Having been unable to view the _Daily Prophet_ during the summer, Levi was shocked when he saw the front cover of the newspaper that morning. Shocked with how things had, so quickly, taken such a drastic turn for the worst in the wizarding world.

The language had shifted.

He had left in June to the _Prophet_ ’s false claims of peace and normality. September hit and the headline read about attacks and murders by blood purists and _Death Eaters._

They were now calling it a _war_.

Slughorn’s move with the prefect badge had obviously been a tactic to swerve Levi away from thoughts of enlisting. A bizarre attempt to show him that he could be licked into shape, popped into a suit and tie, and hold down a ministry job if he wanted. Except, Levi thought smugly as he stared unblinking at the moving photograph on the front cover of that morning’s _Daily Prophet_ , it hadn’t worked.

The single symbol had undone Slughorn’s desperate plan.

A snake twisting in on itself, writhing out of a skull that had been burnt into dark clouds. The image lay below a headline that simplified the deaths of five, innocent muggles into one sentence.

The ministry had done nothing, as of yet.

“What?” The girl behind the Prophet huffed, dropping the newspaper to glower across the table at him. Levi blinked.

“Nothing.” He muttered as he stood and grabbed his bag. It had been just in time for the clock to strike and everyone else to also stand, and head to their first class of the new school year.

Levi had gotten out of the doors and was heading up the staircase to Transfiguration before he heard his name.

There was a brief moment when he considered ignoring it, but he ended up turning. The regret was almost instant as he was all to suddenly face to face with a mop of wild brunette hair, a pair of spectacles and a borderline manic smile.

Hanji Zoe; a Ravenclaw in the same year as Levi and the closest thing he had to a friend.

Levi would argue that they were more like a stalker than a friend. A bad smell? A stubborn piece of dog shit that just refused to be scrapped from the bottom of his shoe. That was probably more accurate.

He had made the terrible mistake of partnering up with them for a potions project last year and (although it was the only reason he had ended up achieving his ‘ _outstanding_ ’ in the class) he had regretted that decision ever since.

“Finally!” Hanji grinned. “I’ve been trying to catch you since London. I looked for you on the train but got distracted because Hughie,” the pet toad they had brought with them in first year and every year since, “escaped. Then someone told me you were a _prefect_ now, so I assumed you must have been lording it up in the prefects’ carriage.” They said, a small piece of hair falling out of their shoddily done ponytail as they spoke.

Levi felt exhausted already.

“Yeah. Must have been.” He grunted, barely listening. The year of confusion on why they felt the need to seek him out and speak to him at all had very quickly turned to apathy.

He didn’t class them as a friend; Levi Ackerman didn’t have (or need) friends.

Though it didn’t stop him being curious.

They had their own group of friends, of course, everyone did. But it seemed that even Hanji Zoe wasn’t enough of a freak to scare people away. Levi chalked it down to the general fact that they were smart and didn’t have to study to get outstanding grades. He highly doubted people (in Slytherin at least) would have put up with their incessant shit if it hadn’t been for their half-blood status and the general fact they could copy off their homework.

“Well,” Hanji said, completely unfazed by Levi’s limited replies. His general scowl, shitty humour and unwelcoming manners were usually enough to keep everyone at a comfortable distance. But not Hanji Zoe.

Hanji never seemed to care that spending time with him was about as enjoyable as finding a boggart in the shitter.

“Slytherin and Ravenclaw share classes for the next term so let’s stick together.” Hanji laughed, Levi didn’t. He only cringed outwardly with another grunt in reply. 

Nobody had ever ' _stuck with him'_ and he was damn sure Hanji Zoe wasn’t going to be the first. One potion project didn’t make them friends. Why couldn't they see that?

The strange twist of emotion he had been feeling deep in his stomach changed to self-loathing in a blink. 

He was Levi Ackerman: he was alone. 

They arrived at Transfiguration on time. Hanji hadn’t stopped talking, it had been incessant. Especially as Levi hadn’t replied again but that small detail hadn’t seemed to have slowed them down.

In the short walk, Levi had learnt all about Hanji’s summer.

About how they had spent a lot of time down by a small lake near their house. How they had almost lost Hughie to the waters when he tried to escape one evening. Apparently, Hanji had jumped in to save the toad but almost drowned themselves when they remembered they didn’t know how to swim. At one point, they had also almost burnt down the family kitchen when a potion experiment had backfired, but it seemed like the funniest shit in the world to Hanji. To Levi, it sounded down right dangerous.

All in all, it only solidified in Levi’s mind that he needed to shake himself of Hanji before shit started hitting the fan. He was unsure if he could even deal with the regular near death experiences with the shit they pulled, never mind tolerate them. 

Hanji, much to his dismay, followed him to a desk and took the seat next to him. Setting out their books and getting out their homework.

His own essay lay half-finished in Levi’s bag. Although it would probably be best to just hand in what he had with a brief explanation of his circumstances, the essay remained firmly there as Levi sat down. McGonagall would want a reason; it was easier to lie and pretend he didn’t care than admit his summer had been spent in a shitty Muggle orphanage instead of by a family lake. He didn’t need to feel any more shame than he already did about his life outside of Hogwarts.

McGonagall entered moments later, a swirl of dark robes and her pointed hat.

Levi remembered in first year when she had entered the room as a cat and transformed before their very eyes.

He had hardly believed it- no, he hadn’t believed it. After running at a brick wall and the talking hat, he really should have been expecting it. But instead, he had been so shocked that he had called out a loud ‘ _what the fuck’_ that had sent the classroom into hysterics. Levi’s eyes had almost fallen out of their sockets being so wide and bulging. So much so that McGonagall had even restrained from telling him off for the language, instead given him a small smirk and replied that it had been the best reaction she had received from a first year ‘ _in a rather long time’_. 

That year was different though.

She entered in human form and hit straight into a speech about how their O.W.L’s may have been over, but it wasn’t a time to start slacking off. They had their N.E.W.T’s to work for now and she wasn’t going to go easy on them.

Levi didn’t doubt it.

There were a few choice words about how some people didn’t achieve the grades she had expected them to last year- Levi sunk into his seat at that, busying himself with the important task of picking the dust sleeve off his textbook. She expected them to be fully committed to their studies. 

The rest of the lesson passed in a similar fashion, with McGonagall touching upon topics they would be studying in the coming year and reminding them all that they would all be taking part in Apparition lessons later on now they were in sixth year. 

That excited him.

He had always been desperate to learn to drive, but without the money or means to do so, that dream had slipped away like so many others.

When he had first learnt to fly in first year, it had changed Levi’s world. He had become obsessed with the ergonomics behind the skill. Not that he was so scientifically about it; he just enjoyed practicing, finding out the limitations and breaking them. He had been a natural at flying. But with no interest in joining the house Quidditch team, he had kept his love for flying very much to himself.

Levi had never felt freedom like he had done up on a broom. Adding rules and balls and a crowd of people to that feeling felt almost like blasphemy.

Unlike driving, Apparition was achievable. And unlike Quidditch, Apparition was a solo venture. Held all the freedoms of flying without the expectation to join teams. The second he had learnt of its existence; it had replaced his dream to get behind a wheel and surpassed the interest he had in broomsticks.

McGonagall soon finished her starting lecture and set them all on the task of reading and taking notes on the first chapter of their textbook; _A Guide to Advanced Transfiguration._ Practical lessons would start next lesson. The class fell silent as the students read, the unfinished essay going forgotten in his bag as Levi began to get sucked into the beginning chapters of the textbook he hadn’t gotten chance to look at yet.

“Your homework, Mr Ackerman?” McGonagall’s voice sounded above him.

He turned his head to see her stood before him, an arm full of papers she must have already collected silently as they read. Levi sat there for a second too long. A few eyes glanced up over to him when McGonagall didn’t instantly move on, but he kept his gaze on hers.

She was a formidable rival when it came down to staring competitions.

She won.

“Um-“ He started, kicking himself for sounding so fucking stupid. He cleared his throat and tried again. “I didn’t manage to get it done.” He said, looking up at her.

Her lips thinned slightly, a small sigh escaping her lips. He knew all too well that she knew his circumstances, as most (if not all) of the teachers did (not out of Levi’s choice), which he could only assume was why she didn’t get angry. Only looked slightly disappointed. In him? In the orphanage? In muggles in general? He couldn’t tell.

“You didn’t manage any of it?” She asked, her eyebrow rising.

“No.” He replied, dropping his gaze. There was a certain level of dignity he had left, it felt stupid, but Levi refused to hand in the half -finished essay to receive a pity point grade.

McGonagall sighed again; obviously hadn’t been the answer she was looking for. She pushed up her glasses.

“You know I can’t tolerate late submissions, Ackerman. Especially not now you’re at N.E.W.T level. You also know how your O.W.L results in Transfiguration were…” She paused. Levi cringed as he felt more eyes turning to watch the situation unfold. “…Disappointing.” She finished.

 _Fuck,_ thought Levi. That stung.

“A detention and five points from Slytherin.” She said, her tone dejected. That alone was enough to set the hairs on the back of Levi’s neck prickling with annoyance, he gritted his teeth.

An irritated sigh passed through the Slytherins in the room.

“Nice one, Ackerman.” One muttered.

When the lamb had successfully been led to slaughter and the punishment had been received, they all turned back to their work ( _sadists)._

“I’m sorry, Levi. But you know I can’t allow exceptions to the rules.” McGonagall added, her voice quieter. Softer. It made Levi want to launch himself at her. Dig his fingernails into something that would scream or rip his own hair out.

He didn’t need special treatment. He didn’t need her pity. He didn’t need anyone. 

Managing to contain his anger, Levi blanked the rest of the lesson as best as he could.

He ignored Hanji’s attempts at conversation, pushed roughly past them when they had finally finished. Stomped his way up to Charms and sat throughout that lesson in a similar fashion. The only plus side to the foul mood radiating off him was that everyone else seemed to get the memo; even Hanji had sat with a fellow Ravenclaw during Charms.

Good, Levi thought to himself. Being hated wasn’t knew to him- hell, his own parents had hated him so much they had abandoned him at the first opportunity they’d gotten. People avoiding him just made sulking a lot easier.

_Good fucking riddance._

He kept his anger fuelled until lunch. Parting the seas of first years who were lingering outside the great hall, unsure if they were meant to enter or not. He scowled as he loaded his plate. Practically snarled when an unexpected group of second year girls tried to sit in the space that had been made purposefully around him at the Slytherin table.

Hanji had walked in a few minutes after he had and headed straight and met with a Gryffindor, choosing to sit at their table. They were welcomed, a number of people leaning over to greet them after the long summer break. It shouldn’t have hurt as much as it did.

Especially when he only had himself to blame for pushing people away.

Especially when it had been his own damn fault for not doing his shitty homework.

What?

He was sulking because he had gotten told off? What was he, six years old? 

Levi thrust his spoon into his soup with such viciousness that he was attracting side glances and murmurs. Self-loathing manifested as outward aggression, and no one was dumb enough to involve themselves in that. 

Or so Levi thought. 

His spoon stopped abruptly as he felt someone move behind him. He had lived for years in an orphanage where you constantly had to have your wits about you, or you’d end up beaten or your head down a toilet; it had made Levi’s fight or flight response sharp. He had a huge distrust for anyone who approached him from behind. The way his shoulders tensed was almost a reflex at that point. 

“ _What_?” Levi snapped, spinning around with such aggression he almost sent himself flying off the seat. He had expected Hanji. Or perhaps Petra coming to tell him that he had missed some sort of stupid fucking prefect meeting. Perhaps even Slughorn, come to tell him off for already losing Slytherin house points within a matter of hours of starting of the new year. 

What he hadn’t expected was Eren fucking Jaeger’s dumb face. Wearing a Gryffindor tie around his neck and an innocent sort of smile. 

“Hey, Levi.” He said, Levi’s stomach lurched. The grip on his spoon increased, it was taking every ounce of his energy to not take his frustrations out by throwing that fucking spoon right at his fucking face. 

“What?” Levi repeated again, making sure his tone was filled with enough spite and malice that Eren would rethink coming over. The stupid bastard didn’t move, barely flinched. 

He stood out like a sore thumb over that side of the great hall. There were no rules saying one had to sit at their house table during the majority of the term’s meals. The only time it was mandatory was during the sorting at the start of the year and the house cup at the end of the year. The only other time that most people chose to not mingle as much was the day of Quidditch matches where everyone was feeling a little more patriotic. 

All except Slytherin.

In the last few years anyway.

In first and second year it hadn’t been uncommon to see a healthy sprinkling of red, blue and yellow ties mixing with the green on the Slytherin table. Since third year, the number had gotten progressively less to the point where other houses didn’t try. If a Slytherin wanted to mingle, they went somewhere else, they didn’t invite someone over.

If you entered a snake’s den, you expected to get bitten. 

Eren, of course, didn’t know this.

Or he was dumb enough to not pay any attention to it. But the short Ravenclaw boy who was lingering at a safe distance, clearly waiting for him, certainly did. 

Fucking of course, Levi mentally cursed, his glare becoming ever more poisonous.

Of course, Jaeger already had a group of friends. A group of friends so loyal that they were willing to hang around and wait for him while he dived headfirst into the snake’s den. 

“I don’t mind, you know.” Eren said after a second, still annoyingly unaffected by Levi’s radiating aggression. In fact, as Levi paused for a split second, trying to process what the fuck this moron was even on about, he half forgot he was supposed to be pissed off.

He was confused. _Didn’t mind about what?_

“What are you fucking on about?” He spat, recovering enough to inject malice back into his words. He frowned. Eren dared give him a half smile.

“On the train,” he said, “you asked me if I had a problem with you being Muggle-born.” Levi struggled to keep his eyes from widening. “I don’t. I don’t have a problem. It doesn’t make a difference if you’re pure blood, half or muggle-born, it doesn’t make you any less of a wizard. I don’t care about any of that blood purity bollocks.” Eren continued.

That’s it, Levi decided, he’s deranged. Moronic. Definitely dropped as a baby.

Here he was, new to Hogwarts, originally from Durmstrang- a school famous for its pure blood only outlook. It seemed that Eren just didn’t care that he was stood in a Gryffindor tie, spouting utter shit in front of the entire Slytherin table.

Levi didn’t reply and Eren tapered off as he realised, he was being stared at; not just by Levi but by other on the surrounding table.

“That’s big of you.” Levi finally managed to muster, his eyes narrowing. Perhaps he wasn’t actually as stupid as he seemed; perhaps this was an attempt at a very miss judged joke. He hoped at least but then Eren continued.

“I think it’s cool that everyone’s different.” Eren said, loud enough to draw even more attention.

Oh, thought Levi, no, never mind. He was just dumb as shit. So dumb that Levi actually felt sorry for him; no wonder he had been kicked out of Durmstrang if he was spouting shit like this the whole time.

Part of Levi, of course, was levitated by his words- ecstatic that someone, finally someone, had stood up to these bullshit social standards.

Eren had stood in the great hall and said enough was enough.

Even better still was he had been the subject of defence. Somebody had finally stood up and said that Levi was enough. But it didn’t stop it being the stupidest, fucking thing he had seen in a long time.

There was silence for a few moments before a bizarre hiss spread along the Slytherin table.

“Blood traitor.” Somebody started, Levi couldn’t pinpoint who as he was still staring directly at Eren, attempting to gage his reaction. His expression also didn’t budge. Unflinching at the hiss, unaffected by the poison filled word spat at him. His eyes were simply locked onto the raven’s.

“Mudblood shagger.” Another.

“Disgrace to the name pure-blood.”

It was a saving grace that even some Slytherin’s sat there looking uncomfortable. A tiny glimmer of hope that not all of their parents were messed fucks who corrupted their children with their words. They were definitely in the minority though.

Levi broke eye contact long enough to glance up to the teacher’s table. McGonagall was sat up there, talking to Sprout, unaware of the hateful words being thrown at her student.

Levi had never been one to turn to adults in a crisis. 

He had grown up in an environment where grassing someone up was a guaranteed way to get more shit hurtling in your direction. He had been brought up on fist fights and black eyes.

Anger bubbled inside him; this time not at his own misfortune, but at the fact that this hatred was being direct at the only person who had ever stuck up to him.

“Fucking shut up.” Levi heard himself say, standing up from his seat as if the wood under him had burnt him.

“If you wanted to see your _mudblood_ boyfriend, Jaeger, can you take him somewhere else.” Jean, a voice and a face Levi instantly recognised piped up.

“Shut the fuck up, Kirstein.” Levi huffed, rolling his eyes at the Slytherin boy.

“I’m just saying.” Jean said, lips curling. “I think you should remember who your father is, Jaeger. Surely he would be very interested to hear what you’ve been spouting.” He gave a sickening smirk, taunting Eren.

Levi expected the same hard stare from the brunette, but Jean’s comments seemed to work. An obvious touchy subject as Eren snatched the bait and ran with it. 

His eyes darkened.

Before Levi even knew it, Eren had pulled his wand, pointing it directly at Jean’s face.

“Keep your fucking horse face out of what doesn’t concern you.” Eren snarled.

Jean’s face flushed with anger, staring directly at the wand. Levi could have sworn there was a flicker of fear; who knew how unhinged Eren truly was. None of them knew why he had left Durmstrang, but with the dark look in his eye, even Levi was beginning to feel unnerved. None of them knew what he was capable of.

“You little shit, Jaeger.” Jean replied, standing as well, his fists clenched. “Why don’t you and Ackerman just piss off and get all cosy in the owlery or something. You can both have a cry about how _pathetic_ your fathers are together? Oh yeah, you’d have to _have_ one to cry about him, isn’t that right, Ackerman?” He hissed, Levi clenched his jaw.

Fuck him.

Fuck him thoroughly; Levi pulled his wand out of his pocket, standing next to Eren as he did.

How had he gone from hating this prick to standing with him in solidarity.

“I swear to God, Kristein-“ Levi started, but the angrier Jean got the more shit spilled from his mouth.

“I know more than you think I do. I know all about your pathetic, little, muggle orphanage, Ackerman. And we’ve all heard about _your_ father’s views, Jaeger. Shame the Ministry doesn’t want anything to do with him after-“

“Shut the _fuck_ up!” Eren bellowed. His voice echoed through the great hall, silencing the rest of the lunch time conversation. Everyone turned in time to see Eren fling his wand out of his hand and launch himself across the table at Jean, fists a flurry and his teeth bared in anger.

Cutlery clattered and Jean called out in shock and pain.

_Fuck._

Levi was mildly impressed, if not a little terrified. But he had to admit, the sound of Eren’s fist impacting that pricks stupid fucking nose was almost satisfying.

“Eren!” Eren’s blonde friend yelled, moving forward to try and grab him.

“Shut the fuck up!” Eren continued.

“ _Mr Jaeger_!” McGonagall boomed, silencing them all. Her voice had the power to freeze the entire hall, including Eren’s fists. The only thing that continued to move was the blood that dripped down Jean’s nose, staining his green, Slytherin tie. “What on _earth_ do you think you are doing?” She gasped, striding down from the teachers table to where they stood. Levi with his wand gripped in his hand, Eren with the front of Jean’s robes gripped in his and his fist bloodied.

They were in so much shit, Levi thought.

“I am shocked and _appalled!_ I don’t know what it was like at Durmstrang school, but this kind of behaviour is _never acceptable_ here at Hogwarts.” She practically screeched. Eren dropped his hand, the fight clearly leaving him as he was shouted at.

He dropped Jean, who instantly pushed himself away, his sleeve going up to his nose to try and stop it bleeding.

“And _you,_ ” She turned on Levi, who felt his blood run cold and himself shrink as her piercing look bore into him.

Levi wasn’t familiar with mothers; but he if he had one, he expected this would be what it would feel like to disappoint one.

“You are supposed to be a _prefect_! I expected better of you, Ackerman. The behaviour you have expressed today better iron itself out, otherwise you'll be faced with further consequences. You are now in _sixth_ year, not roaming around some zoo!” McGonagall blanched, shaking her head. “I’m _shocked_ that certain members of this school think that is okay to brawl like _animals_ over lunch!” She gasped, her voice getting higher and higher in shock.

Both Levi and Eren both hung their heads.

“ _Fifty_ points each from both Slytherin and Gryffindor. And all three of your will also have detention this evening.” She said, sternly.

Jean made a noise under the fabric of his sleeve.

“Professor? Three?”

“Yes, Kristine. Three of you.” She turned to him. “I’m sure that neither Mr Jaeger nor Mr Ackerman would have lashed out if they had not been provoked. I am aware I am old, but I still have my vision. You will also be joining them in detention this evening.” She said sternly. “Though, if you truly find it so difficult to get along with your fellow classmates, then I will put a request in with Mr Filtch so that you can polish the silverware in the trophy room while Mr Jaeger and Mr Ackerman clean the cauldron’s in the dungeons.” She said as she narrowed her eyes at Jean, willing him to challenge her.

When he didn’t, she let out a huffing sigh.

“Now, it’s time for you all move onto your afternoon classes. Go. I expect you all to be swift.” She turned to the rest of the great hall, clapping her hands as every other student stood. There was no chance anyone was brave enough to challenge Minerva McGonagall after a scolding like that.

“Go to the hospital wing, Kristine. I’ll shall let Professor Binns know that you will be absent for the first part of his lesson.” She finished, before turning and walking away.

There were a few beats of silence as the rest of the students exited the great hall to head to their lessons.

Eren bent down to pick up his wand, pleased to see that it was unharmed. He shoved it into his pocket, rubbed at his now bruised knuckles and turned to go back to his friend.

“Jaeger-“ Levi started, unsure of what he really was going to say.

Thank you, he supposed was what he wanted to say. But the words got stuck in his throat.

He was grateful; thankful that Eren had been so bull headed to even come over in the first place. That they had stood side by side, wands pointed. It had been a thrilling feeling. But when Eren actually turned to face him all words dropped from his mouth. His ocean eyes stared back at him expectedly.

“See you later, I guess.” Levi said dumbly, kicking himself mentally for dumb as fuck comment. It didn’t seem to throw Eren though, a grin broke, lighting up his entire face. Even through the darkness of whatever’s Jean’s comments had stirred up inside him, the smile shone bright.

“See you later, Levi.”


End file.
